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Larry Elder |
Laurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an African-American radio and television personality. He is a conservative talk show host and author whose program The Larry Elder Show is heard on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California. Elder has been on 790 KABC since 1994 and was syndicated on ABC Radio Networks from 2002 to 2007.1 Beginning in 2008, he has been the host of Showdown with Larry Elder on Fox News.
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Larry Elder was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city's Pico-Union and South Central areas, Elder attended Washington Preparatory High School and later graduated from Crenshaw High School and earned his B.A.. in Political Science in 1974 from Brown University. He then earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 1977.[1] After graduation, he worked with a large law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, where he practiced litigation. In 1980, he founded "Laurence A. Elder and Associates", a business specializing in recruiting experienced attorneys.
While he was a lawyer in Cleveland in the late 1980s, Elder began to host a topic-oriented television show on PBS affiliate WVIZ produced by Dennis Goulden. "I auditioned for and got a television show on PBS, which I hosted for six years. I can't say I had a plan. I literally picked up the phone and talked my way into getting this audition on PBS and they hired me. They just happened to be looking for a cohost." 2 In the early 1990s, the show's name was retitled to The Larry Elder Show and moved to the local Fox Network affiliate WOIO and cable TV. Goulden and Elder won the Ohio Cable Television Association's "Best Program Series Award" in 1992 for their work on the show, 3 which lasted until Elder moved back to Los Angeles in 1994. Between 2000-2001, Elder hosted the court series, Moral Court, distributed by Warner Brothers Television. In September 2003 he began the television version of The Larry Elder Show, which was dropped on April 12, 2005 due to low ratings. Elder was profiled by 60 Minutes and 20/20 and served as replacement for Geraldo Rivera on CNBC’s Rivera Live while Rivera was on vacation. He was a host of the PBS program National Desk, including the segment, "Redefining Racism: Fresh Voices From Black America," for which he won an AEGIS Award of Excellence, a Telly award, and an Emerald City Gold Award of Excellence. Elder also won a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award in 2000 for his KCAL-TV News Special, Making Waves - LAUSD. He has played himself on the sitcoms Spin City and The Hughleys. Elder's newspaper and online column is carried by Investor's Business Daily, World Net Daily, Townhall.com, Jewish World Review and David Horowitz's Front Page Magazine and The Atlasphere.
From 2002 to 2007, Elder's show was nationally syndicated by ABC Radio Networks and its news-talk network, ABC News & Talk. After Citadel Broadcasting took over most of ABC's radio operations in 2007, syndication of Elder's show was discontinued in favor of Mark Levin, and the show reverted to a local show in August of that year.
Elder was one of the rotating talk hosts auditioning for the slot vacated by the now-canceled Imus in the Morning on MSNBC. His audition was on May 7 and 8, and Elder was said to be openly pursuing the permanent position. 4 However, the job went to Joe Scarborough instead.
On July 5, 2008, Showdown with Larry Elder premiered on Fox News Channel. The show has since not been renewed.
Elder's mother, Viola, died on June 12, 2006 at the age of 81. His father is Randolph (Randy), who is still living at age 91. Elder has one older brother named Kirk. Elder is divorced.
Among Elder's political views are support for free trade and school choice. He opposes the income tax and supports replacing it with the FairTax, a national retail sales tax. He is also a firm opponent of the war on drugs.
Although he is not an Objectivist, he says that Atlas Shrugged, written by novelist Ayn Rand, is one of his favorite books.
Elder has described himself as a libertarian and he became a Republican in May, 2003, citing concern over the Libertarian Party's view on foreign policy, and particularly its opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which Elder resolutely supported.5 Elder has said that the Libertarian Party differs in ways from the libertarian philosophy, which has roots in the Whig and Republican parties. Melding the two, he sometimes refers to himself as a "Republitarian".
He has called himself a "libertarian with a small 'l'" to signify his break from the national Libertarian Party concerning the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Whereas the Libertarian Party opposed international intervention with Iraq (in keeping with its platform opposing "unnecessary foreign entanglements"), Elder was a vocal proponent of the military action.
Elder recently created a self-financed DVD called Michael & Me, in which he attempts to repudiate filmmaker Michael Moore's anti-gun politics and his assertions in Moore's controversial documentary, Bowling for Columbine.
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